


Stakeout

by TiffanyF



Series: High Stakes [2]
Category: CSI: Miami, House M.D.
Genre: AU, M/M, Vampires, ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2013-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-11 11:49:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/798438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SPOILERS SEASON 10 EPISODE 6 "BY THE BOOK". Takes place in my "High Stakes" universe. Ryan and Eric investigate a homicide at a remote mansion and find puncture wounds on the victim. Ryan promptly notifies his gransire, Peter, asking if there is a vampire with permission to kill in the area. Then things get even weirder. Don't own, other than Peter, don't claim, no money made here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the events in "High Stakes". It's not necessary to have read that piece, but things might make a little more sense if you do.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Ryan said as Eric pulled the Hummer to a stop in front of the large house. "It's a dark and stormy night, the power is out, and we have a call from an unknown man about a dead body in this mansion. Is it just me, or does this sound like the start of a bad joke to you?"

Eric grinned. "I knew I shouldn't have let you watch Clue last weekend," he said. "Come on, if there is a body in there, we need to find her and figure out who killed her."

"Yeah," Ryan agreed. "Hey, you don't think the butler is the one who called us in, do you?"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Eric asked. He pushed the door open and looked inside. "Okay, yeah, this looks more like a movie set than a house. I wonder if anyone actually lives here."

"Guess we'll find out," Ryan said. "Split up?"

"You got your UV light with you?"

"Of course, you?"

Eric flipped between settings on his flashlight in reply. Since Horatio Caine's death, both he and Ryan had been on day shift. Neither of them was happy about working at night, but with Calleigh out on maternity leave, the lab was short handed. As vampires, Ryan and Eric were at risk for an attack from a creature known as a hell hound. Ryan's adopted brother, Greg House, had given them the heads up that hell hounds hated UV lights and, while it wouldn't stop an attack, it would give them enough time to get to a safe area. On an island, there wasn't a safe area, so Ryan was on alert for anything that might be a danger to either him or his bonded.

"Be careful, Eric," he said, turning into the room on the right. "Call if you need me for anything and if you see a shadow move, get out of there."

"I'll be fine, Wolfe," Eric said. "You be careful too, okay?"

"Yeah, I always am."

Eric watched the older vampire vanish into the darkness and bit back a sigh. He'd tried to apologize for his behavior after the death of his best friend, but it seemed like there was a gulf between them that hadn't been healed yet. Eric turned things over in his mind as he walked. He knew that blaming Ryan's sire-by-adoption, Horatio Caine, also known by his real name of Alan Morris or, if traced back far enough into history, Allwyn, was a bad idea. Eric had just reacted to Speed's death and hadn't been able to think about it the way he should have as a CSI. Having Alan and Greg, the man Ryan considered a brother, working in Europe to try and stop a threat from the 1940s just made things worse because they weren't in contact with anyone other than Alan's sire, Peter. Eric was scared of Peter. The vampire was so smart, so ancient, that he made all the hairs on the back of Eric's neck stand up. Ryan was close onto a hundred years and, compared to him, Eric was an infant. He wanted to make things right, he just didn't know how.

The body hanging upside down over the table was a surprise. Eric frowned when the light from his flashlight played over her. "Hey Wolfe, get in here. You need to see this," he called.

"What did you find in... Okay, that's not good," Ryan said, stopping in the doorway. "Check her neck, Eric."

"Puncture marks," Eric said. "Placed just like the ones we leave before we close the wound."

Ryan put his case down and pulled out his cell phone. "I wasn't told there was another vampire in the area," he said. "Pepere, it's Ryan. Hi. Yes, we're fine. Yes, we're eating and staying healthy. Pepere, I need your help. Yeah, I'm at work right now. I've got a girl hanging by her feet from the ceiling, completely drained if her skin is anything to go off of, and she's got punctures in her neck."

Eric could hear the swearing even as far away as he was. He moved to stand next to his bonded, wanting to watch for trouble while Ryan was distracted.

"Pepere, no, there's no one here," Ryan said. "At least that I know of. Eric and I are still looking around. It's night, there's a thunderstorm outside and the power is out here."

"Mon dieu, you are out at night in a storm. Ryan, your mind, have you lost it?" Peter asked, sounding clear even over the phone.

"Calleigh's had her babies, Pepere," Ryan said. "We're working short. Eric and I both have our UV lights and there's only a couple of hours left until dawn. We'll be fine. Can you tell me if there's any vampire in Miami who is authorized to kill?"

"Non, non," Peter said. "None who are able to mark victims for death are in your country now. My friends and I, we all work to find and destroy Hitler and his new network. Your sire, he is fine. Greg, he improves daily."

Ryan smiled. "I'm glad," he said. "Thanks for letting me know, Pepere. So, I have a victim with one set of punctures on her neck and completely drained, and no vampire authorized to kill in America. Has anyone been marked for death recently?"

"Non, none but Hitler and any working with him and those, they would not impact you," Peter said. "It is possible for multiple vampires to use the same punctures to drink, but to do that, it takes practice. It is possible you look for one as old as mon petit, if not older."

"An old vampire," Ryan sighed. "Thanks, Pepere. I'm going to send you a couple of pictures. If anything looks familiar, can you call me back?"

"Of course, to help you, it is my pleasure," Peter said. "Tell Eric to take care and we look forward to seeing you both soon."

"Good night, Pepere," Ryan said, ending the call. "So, you heard all that. What do you think?"

"We have one vampire and they took a doggy bag home with them?" Eric suggested as Ryan snapped two pictures with his phone. "You aren't going to get in trouble for doing that, are you?"

"Nope, because no one is going to know about it," Ryan said. "You've got a point. It's possible we have someone who is outside of the vampire community, like I was for so many years, but if they're killing then we need to find them and get Peter's permission to take care of the problem."

Eric nodded. There were some things he was still confused about with the vampire community, but he knew better than to kill without permission from Peter. That was the mistake Speed had made and paid for with his life. "Want me to call Tom and the team?"

"Yeah, we need to get this investigated by the lab too," Ryan said. "It's possible that a vampire drank from her but that's not what killed her. We need to find out."


	2. Chapter 2

Both Eric and Ryan ignored the comments from the team about it being Halloween and how there was no such thing as vampires. Frank rolled his eyes at them once, but he was the only one on scene who knew their true nature and he wasn't about to say anything. The pair finally left Walter and Boa Vista to finish processing the scene and went back to the lab. Ryan was more concerned about the possibility of a rogue vampire loose in Miami than he was about finding evidence at the scene, something he knew Alan would have frowned at, but then again, Alan would probably have been able to tell them who they were looking for. DNA found in the bite mark found a name and Ryan grabbed it to go check out.

"This the place?" Eric asked, looking around.

"According to the database," Ryan replied. He parked and closed his eyes. "Eric, there's a human here. I can hear his heart beating."

"Want me to see if I can pick anything up?"

"Yeah, see if he's broadcasting," Ryan said. While Ryan had honed the ability to be able to hear heartbeats over the years, it took a lot of focus and wasn't a given talent from his vampiric state. Eric, on the other hand, had shown a talent for telepathy. He wasn't nearly as powerful as Greg, but he could hear what people were thinking if he let his shields down. Greg, on the other hand, was so powerful that he couldn't help but hear what people were thinking. It made him grouchy most of the time.

"Ryan, this guy believes he's a vampire," Eric said softly. "I mean like he's been drinking blood and has fangs, but he's still human."

"Groopie," Ryan groaned. "Great. Let me call Peter."

"What's wrong?"

"Idiots like this are usually killed on principle so they don't expose us," Ryan said. "Pepere, it's me. Hey, we've tracked down our suspect and he's a groopie. Eric got a read on him and says he's still human but he's had fangs put in and he drinks blood. He also, at some point, bit our victim."

Eric heard the sigh over the phone. "As a suspect, it is better than an old vampire," Peter said. "I worried you would not be strong enough to survive a battle with one so much older than you. If you deem it wise, Ryan, mon petit, you have my permission to kill this groopie. I shall make note of it in the book here so all know you killed with my permission."

"Thank you, Pepere," Ryan said. "We're going to head in and interview him now. I'll call in a report once we're done with this and see if you'll need to hear about the end of the case."

"A woman drained, you seek more than one vampire," Peter said. "Should your human be a front, you could be in danger. Both of you be alert, non?"

"We will. Thank you again, Pepere." Ryan tucked his phone away. "So, you heard all that. Ready to go see what sort of nut we're dealing with here?"

"Yeah, sure, but then I've got some questions for you," Eric said as the pair slid out of the Hummer. He grabbed some rope along with his cuffs and followed Ryan up towards the house.

"We can talk over dinner," Ryan said. He knocked on the door. "Wes Rayburn, MDPD. We've got some questions for you."

They both pulled their guns when there was the sound of breaking glass. "Why do they always have to run?" Ryan asked taking off at a sprint.

Eric was a faster runner than Ryan, so he was out in front and managed the tackle, taking their suspect to the ground. He started when fangs punched into his skin. "Wolfe!"

"Let him go now," Ryan hissed, pressing his gun up against the kid's head. "We want to know what you were doing last night, Wes. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."

"Son of a bitch that hurt," Eric said. He cuffed the squirming man and knelt on his back to get the ropes into place. 

"No venom," Ryan thought loudly so Eric would pick it up. "All right, Wes," he said aloud, "so you think you're a child of the night. Tell me about the girl you bit and killed last night."

"You can't truss me up like this. This is police brutality."

"Yeah, well, I don't care because you bit my partner there and that makes me mad," Ryan said. "You ever met a real vampire before, Wes? Huh, or do you think you are one? How sick do you get when you drink blood?"

"I am a vampire."

Eric snorted and grabbed the vial that was hanging around the kid's neck. "This from last night?" he asked. "Where's the rest of the blood, Wes? How'd you drain Andrea?"

"She was like that when I found her. I thought it was a love offering from Marilyn, left for me in response to my letters," Wes said. "She'd already been drained when I got there. I tried to drink from her, but I couldn't."

"You couldn't," Ryan said. "Do you even care about all the problems you're causing yourself by inducing human blood into your stomach, idiot?"

"I don't get sick."

Ryan shook his head. "Eric, how's your arm?" he asked.

"Hurts like a bitch," Eric said, wrapping it with a torn off piece of his shirt. "What the hell are those fangs made of?"

"Dental porcelain, just like a crown," Ryan said. He stepped forward and looked down at Wes. "So, you think you're a vampire, do you Wes? I'll ask you again, have you ever met a real vampire? I mean one who really does drink human blood to stay alive, has to stay out of the sun, lives in a coffin and all that crap Hollywood likes to throw out there. No? Of course you haven't because that's not who vampires are. You should feel honored though, you got a chance to meet two vampires before you died."

"What?"

"Yeah, see, I'd drain you, but I don't want to get sick, so we're going to do it this way," Ryan said. He took out his gun and pointed it at the kid's head. "Eric here is going to untie you and you're going to run. I'm going to shoot you, Wes. You are a danger to others, and we just can't have that."

"Hey man, what are you talking about?" Wes asked.

Ryan let his fangs drop. "Mine hide," he said with a smile. "Let him go, Eric."  
***

"Resisting arrest," Tom said, looking down at the young man. "You say he thought he was a vampire?"

"Yeah, he bit Eric when we were trying to get him restrained," Ryan said with a nod at his partner who was being checked over by the paramedics who had come along with Tom. "He broke away and made a run for it."

"Did you learn anything from him?" Tom asked.

"He says Andrea was already dead when he got there and he bit her to see if there was any blood left," Ryan replied. "So that means we've still got a murderer running around and a missing eight pints of blood."

"I found traces of poison on the victim," Tom said. He looked at his hands. "The hard way."

"You gonna be okay, Doc?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Tom said. "I haven't had a chance to really examine Andrea, but those puncture wounds on her neck were the only obvious injury to her."

Ryan grinned. "Then we have to find the unobvious," he said.

"Is that your phone," Tom asked.

"Oops, yeah it is," Ryan said, pulling it out. "My granddad. It's his birthday and he always calls me on his birthday. It's totally backwards. Will you excuse me, Tom?"

"Yeah, of course," Tom said.

"Pepere," Ryan said, walking towards an area where he wouldn't be heard. "Everything okay?"

"Ryan, I know you work a case," Peter said. "But is there any chance you could take time to check a name for me?"

"Sure, I'm heading back to the lab as soon as Eric's free of the medics," Ryan said. He pulled out his notebook. "What's the name?"

"Vogel," Peter said. "His first name, I do not know it, but I believe he is one we need to investigate in relation to Alan's work in Germany."

"I know the name, Pepere, and I'll call if I can find anything," Ryan said. "The groopie is dead. He bit Eric."

"Eric, he is okay?"

"He will be as soon as he can eat," Ryan said. "I'm in the middle of a crime scene so it's possible I could be overheard. I'll call you tonight."

"I will await your call," Peter said. "Take care, mon petit."

"Always," Ryan smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay, so that has to be the most annoying case I think we've worked in a while," Ryan sighed, sinking down on the sofa in the apartment he shared with Eric. "Blood in wine bottles and he was going to serve it to people. Is it just me, or are humans getting crazier as time goes on?"

"I think it's just you," Eric replied. He lay down and settled his head in Ryan's lap. "Thanks for taking me out to the club, Ryan. I know you're not fond of those places as feeding grounds."

"No problem, at least it's quick to get a meal there," Ryan said. He ran his fingers over Eric's short hair. "How's your arm doing?"

"Sore, but I'll be okay by tomorrow," Eric said. "Ryan, why do you guys kill groopies? I don't understand that one."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that one because it's not something we would have covered with you yet," he said. "Okay, so you know that the venom from a hell hound bite, should it make it into a vampire's brain, will turn them into a vampire that Hollywood would put in a film. Out only in the dark, draining as much blood as possible from victims, not caring about anything other than death and blood."

"Yeah, which is what Greg was at risk for," Eric said.

"He almost turned once, Alan had an antidote that would keep the venom at bay, but it forced the heart to beat and there was almost literally a battle between the vampire and the venom. When Greg was in the hospital, when he was crippled, the venom almost got him because Alan was down here and had to fly up to save Greg." Ryan paused and took a deep breath. "We almost lost him, Eric. If he wasn't as strong as he is, we would have."

"I know you love him like a brother, Ryan," Eric said. "You don't have to try and hide that from me. I get the whole crazy family dynamic you've got going on. It might not always make me comfortable around people, but I get it."

"So anyway, these groopies believe they're vampires. You heard the kid today, what he was talking about," Ryan said. "He really thought he was a vampire, but what would happen if he bit someone with those fang crowns he had on?"

"Major ouch time," Eric said. He rubbed his arm absently. "A bite from those in the neck would be damaging."

"Along with a human swallowing human blood," Ryan said. "They put us at risk just by their presence. We're still not sure exactly what it is about us that draws hell hounds, but Pepere says he's seen hell hounds attack groopies at night. The kids were ripped apart rather than just bitten. There are some people that are a bigger threat to the vampire community when they're alive, so Pepere has decreed that they can be killed with permission from one of the vampires who can mark a victim. Another group is those who become addicted to being vampire food."

"Does that happen often?" Eric asked.

"You've seen how humans react when you allow them to climax while you're feeding from them," Ryan replied. "Imagine what happens if they become addicted to that. They'd put themselves at risk, could become stalkers, could talk to the media. Pepere and Alan really can't stand them, so they're killed fairly quickly. I know it seems brutal and heartless, but in these two cases, quality of life is pretty much gone. Now keep in mind that not everyone who likes to wear fangs and go to goth or vampire clubs is killed. That'd be mass murder, but every so often you get one like we had yesterday who really believed he was a vampire. That's what we call a groopie."

Eric nodded. "So if we went to that new vampire club that opened on the edge of the club area, no one in there would be marked out," he said.

"Not unless they truly believed themselves to be a vampire, and like I said, that level of belief is almost a madness," Ryan said. "As long as the biting is done safely, not causing undo damage to the bitee and minimal blood is drawn, let them believe what they want. That's their business. You heard what that Wes kid was thinking though, didn't you?"

"That we looked tasty," Eric said.

"We did, but he was talking about the quality of our blood. We're not ruthless, Eric. It's just that Pepere and Alan have lived long enough to realize that there are times when killing is the only way to eliminate a threat," Ryan said. "Pepere could have ordered me to leave Wes alive until he could be checked by a higher ranking vampire than me, but he also knows how much I hate killing and that I wouldn't be asking for a mark unless I really believed it was needed."

"Guess that makes sense," Eric said. "So how many vampires can mark someone?"

Ryan thought for a minute. "Ten world-wide," he said. "That's counting Pepere, Al, and Alan."

"So you and Greg can't?"

"We're not ranked high enough," Ryan said. "Yeah, I'm older than Al, but I was outside the community a long time and that means I'm still learning things my blood sire should have taught me. Greg's too young, although I suspect that in another five hundred years or so, Pepere will allow him to begin marking people if the need arises."

"How old is Peter?"

"He was born in Ancient Greece and he's not even sure of the year, but he thinks it was before Lelantine War."

"That old. How's that even possible?"

"Clean living, lots of homes over the years and intelligence," Ryan grinned. "Don't let how he talks fool you, he's one of the smartest vampires around. He just likes to be French."

Eric grinned. "No wonder I feel so odd whenever I'm near him."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but he's not going to hurt you. Flirt, yes, you can't stop him from doing that, but you get used to it after a while. Plus you're bonded with me, so that makes you one of his grandchildren. That's a role he takes very seriously."

"So now what do we have to do?" Eric asked.

"Pepere wants us to research Vogel," Ryan replied. "It sounds like he's connected into what Alan's working on."

"That's not going to be easy. You know Vogel's crooked, he gets wind of what we're doing, that's going to cause problems for the lab."

"We'll vanish before we let that happen," Ryan said. "Eric, listen to me, I know you want to stay for your family, but if we need to, we're going to have to run. It's a dangerous time right now and I can't promise you we'll make it through without the possibility of having to die."

"What do we do then?"

"Go to Italy and meet up with Pepere. We stay dead for a century or so and then we can reappear and start over," Ryan said. "It's hard, especially after your first life, but it's also kinda fun."

Eric nodded. "I suppose I should let Momma know I'm working on something dangerous," he said. "You know, try to get her ready, just in case."

"That's not a bad idea," Ryan said. "Thank you for not fighting me on this. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Yeah, same here," Eric said.


End file.
